Why Informatica Shares Popped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Informatica have popped today by greater than 20% following an upbeat earnings release.

So what: Revenue in the fourth quarter totaled $234.7 million, bringing the company to record annual sales of $811.6 million. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.41. Both figures topped consensus estimates, which called for $217.3 million in sales and $0.37 per share in profit.

Now what: CEO Sohaib Abbasi said the company is trying to improve its operating performance by effectively scaling the business while tapping into new opportunities in big data and cloud computing. Informatica continues to try and improve its performance in Europe, despite tough macroeconomic conditions. Guidance was also strong, with first-quarter sales expected to be in the range of $196 million to $206 million, compared to expectations of $197.1 million.

Interested in more info on Informatica? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

2013 and beyondThe Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock it is in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.